Flooding still tops Keene agenda

January 12, 2012

KEENE - In the first town board meeting of the new year, the ramifications of two major floods of 2011 are still being dealt with.

The town of Keene recently received Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for damage the spring flood caused. Last week the town received $17,000 from FEMA and expects to get an additional $58,000.

Supervisor Bill Ferebee could not give a time frame for when the town will see those additional funds.

In addition, Burnham Associates, Keene's health insurance policy broker, has donated $1,000 to the town to aid the Keene Volunteer Fire Department. The town received the donation Tuesday. The Keene firehouse was largely destroyed on Aug. 28 as Gulf Brook rose up with floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene.

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Road naming

The board approved Santanoni Way as the name of a private road near the Johns Brook bridge. The road had no name before.

"There was no name because this was a newly established driveway," Ferebee said. "The gentleman that owned all of it subdivided it and sold one of the houses farthest in, so this gentleman requested it be named" for direction purposes.

The original road name proposal was Santanoni Lane, but an audience member pointed out that lanes designate public roads, whereas ways designate private roads.